MMA, More Than A Sport

When it comes to full contact sports, mixed martial arts represent a very special combat type of a sport that focuses on grappling and striking procedures. MMA revolves around a wide series of ground fighting techniques, along with standing fighting technique that are characteristic to a wide array of combat sports. The history of mixed martial arts is quite impressive and it takes a while back – Ancient Olympus back, to be more precise, in a time when the pankration was a special combat sport that combined numerous full range combat procedures that did not require the use of arms. Ever since, the sport continued to grow, develop, improve, climaxing in recent years with the MMA we all know and witness today.

Modern MMA History

The American and Japanese MMA originate in shoot wrestling and the Jiu-Jitsu grappling style that is characteristic to Brazilians. The vale tudo occurrences in the twenties in Brazil were soon copied by the Japanese shoot wrestling events. The Gracie family is associated with the Gracie challenge, while the first Japanese MMA wrestlers had their bouts on Japanese soil in the seventies. The USA held the first Ultimate Fighting Championships years later, back in 1993 and the worldwide recognition of the sport soon followed ever since. The amazing popularity of the sport was triggered by Royce Gracie, the famous jiu-jitsu fighter who was the winner of the very first UFC. He remains an important part of the history of mixed martial arts for having submitted three adversaries in no more than 5 minutes.

Japan also witnessed its very own vale tudo tournaments in 1994, followed by the contests organized in 1995, and Riskson Gracie won both of the events. Soon followed the development of the International Vale Tudo competition and the Pride Fighting Championships was created in 1997.

New MMA History Peaks

Mixed martial arts as a sport has reached new high peaks of popularity in the United States of America at the end of 2006, at the end of the rematch between Chuck Lidell, the heavyweight champion of the Ultimate Fighting Championship, and Tito Ortiz. Price FC was brought by Zuffa LLC in 2007, and they managed to create a highly successful merger.

Besides the Pride Fighting Competition that took place in between 1997 and 2007, important MMA events such as the World Extreme Cagefighting, DREAM, EliteXC, or the Bellator Fighting Championships that are currently underway are also worth mentioning. Also, the presence of women is not uncommon in Mixed Martial Arts. While you would expect to hear about women who like to play casino online for fun in their spare time and not be interested in a sport many consider to be violent, there are plenty of fine ladies who choose to embrace it. Names like Gina Carano, Valkyrie, or Miesha Tate are just a few of the best MMA female athletes. There is even a special competition that solely addresses the ladies, called the Invicta Fighting Championships. MMS is legally regulated in countries like the USA, Russia, China, Japan, Thailand, or South Africa, to name just a few.